Ruby's Reward — page 345: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

But he had wisdom enough to resist the impulse, knowing that he had no authority to enter the place, and would doubtless be refused admittance if he tried to do so, and thus would perhaps do the young girl’s cause more harm than good by any precipitate movement. “You just give me that paper, miss, if you please,” he continued, ‘‘and [’ll do what I can. ll take it directly to Mr. Conant, and we'll have her out of that nest before the sun goes down, only I shall have to ask you to keep this discovery to yourself tor five or six hours, for if her jailers get wind that we've found her out, it will just upset everything.” “But I—I can't understand,” the young girl began, looking more and more perplexed and troubled. “Of course you can’t, It's too rascally a piece of business for an innocent girl like you to see through. But you wust hold ona bit until 've done my duty to Miss Ruby, then I'll come and make it all plain to you, Your name is Miss Partridge. I remember you, and V’ll make it my business to see that you don't forget this afternoon’s adventure. And now I guess— we'(better part company, for my old temper is ris- ing every minute as T think of the thundering trick per ascet has played upon us all, and I must get to work.” “Who %—what?’ queried Miss Annie, more mysti- fied than before, and regarding her excited com- -panion as if she was not quite sure that he knew what he was talking about. “Never mind, just now. miss, Owen Ruggles is a man of his werd, aud he won't Teave you fn doubt any longer than hecan help. I'l] come to-morrow and explain all about it. Now good-by; Lye got to work off some of this steam, or it'll be the worse for somebody.” . They had reached a corner, and upon receiving Ruby’s note, which Miss Annie was only too glad to vive to him, Mr. Ruggles rushed away to tind Mr. onant and Walter, tell his good news, and then ar- range for the rescue of the maiden, whom he had learned to regard with fatherly tenderncamichools.com